Duquesne fans gearing up to cheer on men’s basketball team in next round of NCAA Tournament
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When Duquesne sealed a major upset victory over BYU on Thursday, the official on-campus watch party erupted.
It was Duquesne’s first NCAA Tournament win since 1969 in the Dukes’ first tournament appearance since 1977.
>> Duquesne stuns 6-seed BYU in opening round of NCAA Tournament
“To have this kind of moment, to have Duquesne on the map in a national way, for these current students, that’s a way that bonds them together even more,” said Ashley Kane, Duquesne’s Director for Student Programming and First Year Experience.
PHOTOS: Duquesne men’s basketball upsets BYU, advances to next round of NCAA Tournament
Now, the university is ready to kick things up a notch with another watch party on Saturday for the Dukes’ second-round matchup with 3-seed Illinois.
“We have more t-shirts, we have a new design, we have a Duquesne version of Terrible Towels that we’re excited to give out. Since it’s a night game, we have glow wands, glow sticks, bracelets, necklaces, a variety of different noisemakers, cowbells, clappers,” Kane said.
Hundreds of students are expected to attend the watch party Saturday night at the Power Center Ballroom.
Doors open at 8 p.m. and the game is set for tip-off at 8:40 p.m.
Meantime, other Duquesne-faithful made the trip to Omaha and will be watching the game in person.
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“I’m staying optimistic. I try to,” said Duquesne alum and super fan Jonny Heller, speaking to Channel 11 from his Omaha hotel room. “Playing Illinois, you never know what can happen. That’s why they play the game.”
Heller lives in the Pittsburgh area and has attended Dukes basketball games since he was a kid.
He says this experience was one he wouldn’t miss for the world.
“Just getting there, I was happy. I said, ‘I don’t care if we get there and lose by a million points,’ but we got a win and that’s icing on the cake. From here, nobody’s going to expect them to do anything else, so we’re playing with house money now,” Heller said.
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